On Sunday, April 18th 2PM, join us for a special interactive talk with Jeremy R. Mack MD. The talk will be on mental health problems caused by the pandemic and some thoughts on life after it. Jeremy will be discussing some of the mental health problems such as depression, sense of isolation from friends and family, fears about change of employment status, concerns about the needs of children in this situation--  that have been mentioned as exacerbated by the pandemic and possible solutions to them.

Jeremy Mack is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst with experience in the treatment of disorders of adults and children. He trained at Mount Sinai Hospital, For many years he was head of the Child Clinic at NYU/Bellevue Medical Center and is a Clinical Associate Professor at NYU Medical School and also on the faculty of the Icahn Medical School at the Mount Sinai Medical Center. He practices in NYC, and now, recently moved full time to Sherman, and practices in New Milford as well.

This is a FREE zoom event, donations are welcome. We ask you to please register on our website before the event. If you have any questions please feel free to email the JCCS at info@jccinsherman.org

How to combat COVID-19/2020 anxiety, depression and stress

Stay connected:

Talk to someone- a friend, a relative and or seek out a mental health professional. Isolation can disappear when someone listens to you, you may also learn that you aren’t the only one having the feelings you do. Health insurance companies often have listings of providers in your area or you can try websites such as Psychology Today (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us).

Stay informed:

Become a savvy media consumer to learn the facts and avoid the sensationalized and fictionalized accounts of world events. Know which media sources can be trusted and limit the amount of news you consume in a day especially right before bed. Follow CDC guidelines, the CDC has recommendations that are online (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html) , as Public Service Announcements on the regional television channels and printed in newspapers.

Volunteer (and or donate if you can): Doing things for others can boost your mood and inspire others to do the same.

Human services organizations (i.e. food pantry, homeless shelter, domestic abuse shelter)
Human/civil rights campaigns
Arts organizations

Animal protection
School or Community organizations
Religious organizations
Environmental groups
Become a Mentor or be a Big Brother or Sister Do random acts of kindness

Do something good for yourself: You can’t take care of others if you are running on empty.

• Take a break/get some rest/ask for help.

• Get some exercise: exercise creates endorphins, the body’s natural pain killer and mood boosters. It also helps you sleep better at night.

• Go outside and get a change of scenery.

• Meditate, pray and or sing: these three activities distract the brain from its

  repetitive negative thoughts or worries and require deeper and more controlled breathing which has the added benefit of reducing the CO2 in the lungs thereby reducing the feeling of anxiety. Most people when nervous take shallow breaths, this reduced oxygen and increased CO2 contribute to the discomfort we experience in our chest and perhaps dizziness in the head when anxious.

• Watch something funny or engage in play: laughing 100 times has been equated to 10 minutes on a rowing machine or 15 minutes on an exercise bike. Laughing can lower your blood pressure, stress, boost your immune system and provide you with a different perspective and positive outlook.

• Make plans/goals, start with small achievable steps for things to look forward to.

• Dedicate time to a hobby: having something enjoyable to do provides a much

  needed break from stress and anxiety.

• Maintain health/ eat right (strive for 80% of the time every week so you can

  indulge 20% of the time) and go for checkups.

• Create a daily gratitude journal or mental list: keep the items small and specific

  so you can find something every day to be grateful for. If done when you first wake up it can put a positive spin on your day. Remind yourself again at night to think of these three things and it might inspire sweet dreams and a more restful night. Feel as though there is nothing positive to be grateful for? The act of writing down the things that you are angry or otherwise upset about can be very cathartic, especially if there is no one you can share these feeling with in the moment.